Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A Trinamool Congress worker died after falling ill inside a police lock-up in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, with his wife alleging that he was brutally beaten and tortured in custody hours before his death.
Birju Keot, husband of former Trinamool Congress councillor Jeny Sharma Keot, was arrested by Halisahar police on Friday over allegations including extortion and corruption. He was produced before a Barrackpore sub-divisional court, which sent him to five days of police custody.
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Keot was subsequently kept in the Halisahar police lock-up. He fell ill in the early hours of Saturday and was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital in Kalyani, Nadia district, where doctors declared him dead.
Police have not yet responded to the allegations surrounding his death. Police sources, according to the information available, said Keot died after suffering a heart attack, but questions remain over the circumstances of his death.
WIFE ALLEGES CUSTODIAL ASSAULT
Jeny Sharma Keot, a former councillor from Ward 23 of Kancharapara municipality, said she had met her husband at around 9 pm on Friday and found him well.
“He was okay when I met him last night at 9 pm. But after that he was beaten, tortured by the investigation officer. By which he felt ill inside police lockup,” she alleged.
She further alleged that Keot had visible injury marks and was bleeding from his ear.
“My husband was beaten mercilessly, tying him with rope. He had marks of injury. He was seen bleeding,” she said, demanding a proper investigation into his death.
According to Jeny, the family was not informed when Keot’s condition deteriorated or when he was taken to hospital.
“The police even didn’t inform us about his illness and death after he was taken to hospital,” she said.
The family rushed to the hospital after learning about his condition in the early hours of Saturday.
ARREST AND POLICE CUSTODY
Keot was arrested by Halisahar police over alleged involvement in corruption, extortion and other allegations.
He was taken for a medical examination after his arrest on Friday and was later produced before the Barrackpore sub-divisional court. The court ordered five days of police custody, after which he was taken to the Halisahar police lock-up.
He fell sick there in the early hours of Saturday. Police took him to Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital in Kalyani, where doctors declared him dead.
The exact circumstances leading to his death remain unclear.
POLITICAL ROW ERUPTS
Keot’s death has triggered a political confrontation between the TMC and BJP, with the ruling party accusing the police of custodial excesses and the BJP calling for the circumstances of the death to be investigated.
Keot was said to be a close associate of Kamal Adhikari, the former chairman of Kancharapara municipality who quit the post after the TMC’s poor performance in the Assembly election. Adhikari has also faced allegations of corruption in the locality.
Keot had campaigned for Subodh Adhikari, Kamal Adhikari’s brother, who contested the Bijpur Assembly seat as a TMC candidate but lost.
BJP MLA OFFERS HELP
Sudipta Das, the BJP MLA from Bijpur, said Keot was a close associate of local TMC leader Kamal Adhikari but maintained that he did not know the precise allegations against him or the circumstances of his death.
“The accused was a close associate of local TMC leader Kamal Adhikari. Consequently, they are in possession of illicit funds, weapons, and other items; some have been detained, while others remain at large,” Das said.
“However, I am unaware of the specific allegations against Birju Keot or the circumstances of his death—these are matters for the investigation to determine, and the police would be the ones to provide details,” he added.
Das said he would assist Keot’s family if they sought help.
“If the family seeks any assistance, I will extend all possible support,” the BJP MLA said.
TMC QUESTIONS ARREST
Amit Gupta, a local TMC leader and the party’s defeated candidate from the Bhatpara Assembly constituency, called Keot’s death deeply tragic and questioned the circumstances of his arrest and subsequent death.
“The incident is deeply tragic, as we have lost a colleague. The question arises: the BJP claims that the rule of law has been established in the state since they came to power—so how was a political figure subjected to such severe torture while in police custody that it resulted in his death?” Gupta said.
Gupta said Keot had been associated with the TMC for a long time and had remained with the party during difficult periods.
“The deceased was a Trinamool Congress member from Ward No. 23. He had been associated with the party for a long time and did not abandon it even during its difficult days. Was that his crime?” he asked.
He also claimed that there was no FIR against Keot and alleged that he was arrested while police were apprehending another accused.
ABHISHEK BANERJEE RAISES RULE OF LAW QUESTION
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also condemned Keot’s death and questioned why he was taken into custody despite his name allegedly not appearing in the FIR.
In a post on X, Banerjee wrote: “BIRJU KEOT. His name was not in the FIR. He was still picked up by the @WBPolice. He died in custody. His family alleges brutal police assault.”
He added: “When the State can take a man into custody despite his name not appearing in the FIR – and he does not come out alive – the question is no longer merely about law & order. It is about the rule of law itself.”
Banerjee also questioned: “Who protects the citizen when the police become the source of fear?”
The circumstances surrounding Keot’s death are now at the centre of a political dispute, with his family demanding justice and the TMC alleging custodial assault.
Police have yet to issue a response to the allegations.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
